1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to flooring materials, and more particularly, to a multi-part synthetic finish flooring ideally suited for exterior or marine environments.
2. Description of the Related Art
Several designs for exterior synthetic flooring have been designed in the past. None of them, however, includes pre-fabricated synthetic, wood and polymeric based boards that are cold joined into finish flooring that can be simply and conveniently made yet ideally suited for harsh exterior and marine environments.
Traditional exterior finish flooring and marine decks are laid over fiberglass, wood or metal decking. A painstaking system requiring skilled tradesmen adheres deck boards individually and then seals the seams between the boards. This can cost, as of 2012, over $100 per square foot of deck laid. In addition to cost, the time required to complete a job is significant. The skill required to lay such a finish floor is high so only specially skilled laborers can complete such a job.
Other solutions to a traditional method include using a sheet based laminate, often supplied on a roll and adhered to the vessel's deck. These products are obviously synthetic and thus lack the visual appeal of traditional decking materials.
Other known processes, products and patents describe similar subject matter and provide for a number of more or less complicated and expensive products and methods of installation and manufacture that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. None of these known patents or commonly used processes suggest the novel features of the present invention.